Losing Your Memory
by DamonsDarkLove
Summary: Rewrite/Repost:  What happens when the Salvatore's try to take away Elena's memory to protect her, but end up only making things worse?  Can they hide their secrets from Klaus before he takes everything they worked to protect away from them?


**Losing Your Memory**

_Sometimes, the only way to protect the one that you love, is to make them forget that you ever existed._

**Chapter One: The Stranger**

Elena stood staring out the window of her childhood bedroom and looked down over the all too familiar neighborhood before her. This had been her home only a year before and yet as she stood there that afternoon; it felt like it had been in another lifetime. Everything around her looked so familiar and every image held a different memory, but as she looked out into the gloomy mid-afternoon sky, all she felt was emptiness. This town, this house, everything that Mystic falls held was now empty to her. There was nothing left there that held anything for her anymore. The only things that still remained were painful memories of a life she had spent a year trying to forget.

Elena was stirred from her thoughts when she heard the rustling of blankets coming from the corner of her bedroom. She turned and smiled as she looked to the small crib that sat next to what used to be her bed. Slowly she moved across the room and looked in at the beautiful baby boy that lay wrapped in the warm quilt that had been hers when she was a child. He had been the only world that she had known since she had left Mystic Falls last year and he was all that she needed. He had been with her on the nights when she cried, not knowing why. He had been there on the days when the emptiness threatened to take her sanity and he had been there when everyone else had disappeared. He was the only family she had left and she would die for him in a second if someone asked her to. She smiled as she reached down and ran her fingers down his soft cheek. He looked like an angel as she watched his eyes move rapidly under his eyelids.

"Sweet dreams Joey." She whispered softly.

"Elena, are you ready?" Caroline's voice broke into the room and jolted Elena's body upright. Elena turned and smoothed out her tight black dress. She hadn't worn the dress since Jeremy's funeral, and somehow it felt appropriate on a day like today. Elena nodded as she smiled at the blonde that now stood in front her. Caroline nodded and smiled as she looked into the crib.

"He is so beautiful Elena." She said quietly. Elena nodded.

"He is my everything." She said as she continued to watch the little boy sleep.

"Is Alaric staying here to watch him?" Caroline asked as she turned toward Elena.

"Yeah, I made him promise to stay sober till we got back." Elena said with a smile. Caroline laughed.

"Good luck with that. You have no idea how early Happy Hour has become." She said with a smile.

"Are you ready?" Caroline asked again as she reached out and touched Elena's arm. Elena took in a deep breath and nodded.

"Ready as I'll ever be, I suppose." She said as she picked her jacket up off of the bed. Caroline smiled tenderly and then both of the girls turned and made their way out of the house.

Caroline's car pulled into the Salvatore Boarding Houses' driveway just as the sun was beginning to go down over Mystic Falls. Elena stepped slowly from the car and stared up at the large house before her. Caroline was quickly at her side and put her arm around her.

"Are you alright?" She asked. Elena nodded.

"Yeah I'm alright; it's just been a while." She said as she continued to look over the large house. The house was beautiful and at one time had been more of a home to her than her own. But now as she looked at the house, it only reminded her of everything she had been trying to forget.

Finally, Elena shook herself out of her daydream and then followed Caroline up the rest of the driveway and to the front door of the house. Caroline knocked and then they waited until they finally heard footsteps approaching the door. After a moment they heard the lock turn and then a man with golden chestnut hair, piercing green eyes, and sharp chiseled features appeared in the doorway. His face softened and he smiled as he looked at Caroline and then finally to Elena.

"You came." The man said as he let out a ragged breath. Elena smiled and accepted as the man pulled her into an embrace. She kept her distance, but she knew that it was only polite to at least be warm to him after everything that had happened.

"It's good to see you Stefan." She said in a detached voice. Stefan pulled away from her and smiled.

"Come in, everyone is inside." He said as he opened the door further and motioned for her and Caroline to come into the house.

Elena and Caroline followed Stefan down the long corridor that led to the parlor of the Boarding House. Caroline gripped Elena's hand in hers and gently rubbed her thumb over the top of Elena's hand. Elena let out a deep breath and tried to keep herself as calm as possible as she re-entered a world that she thought she would never see again.

As the three of them turned the corner and entered the large parlor, Elena gripped Caroline's hand tighter. She looked around the room and saw the friendly faces of her past staring back at her. Tyler stood by the fireplace nursing a drink, Matt sat in an overstuffed leather chair and smiled when he saw her walk in and Bonnie stood nervously next to the large window. She smiled when she saw Elena and suddenly sprinted across the room toward her.

"Elena! God it's so good to see you!" Bonnie said as she wrapped her arms around her and pulled her into a tight embrace. Elena wrapped her arms around Bonnie as she felt the tears begin to well up in her eyes. She buried her face in Bonnie thick mahogany hair.

"I've missed you Bonnie." Elena said through her tears. Bonnie nodded and pulled her face away. Her brown eyes stared into Elena's and she smiled as she took Elena's face in her hands.

"I missed you too. It's going to be alright, sweetie." She said softly. Elena nodded, but the way Bonnie held her gave her a sick feeling deep inside her stomach.

"Elena, thank you for coming. I know that on the phone I didn't tell you very much about why we wanted you to come, but there is something that we really need to talk to you about." Stefan said as he walked from the entryway of the parlor toward Elena. Elena nodded and swallowed hard as she began to feel the anxiety in her rise. It had been a very long time since she had been in the same room with Stefan and the last time had not been pretty. She remembered the look on his face when she told him she was leaving and the pain in his eyes when she explained why. She remembered how he had never asked her to stay and that his eyes seemed to understand more than even she did on why it was necessary that she go and never return.

"Well it's good to see everyone, but I must admit I was surprised by your call. Why exactly am I here Stefan?" Elena asked as she moved closer to him. There was something about the way that Stefan was looking at her that made her feel incredibly nervous. He knew something and he was keeping it from her, and she could guess whatever that something was, it wasn't good.

"Elena we asked you to come here because something happened right before you left that you don't exactly know about. It threatened you greatly and for the past year we thought it was gone and assumed you were protected. Well now that something is back and there are some things we need to talk to you about in order for us to continue to protect you. Would you mind sitting for a minute?" Stefan asked as he walked closer to her and motioned to the chair behind her. Elena looked at him, but his face gave nothing away. His beautiful brown eyes were serious, but held a great deal of emotion that seemed buried deep beneath his surface.

"I think I'll stand. Stefan, what is going on?" Elena said as her heart began to beat faster in her chest. She stood rigid as she watched as Stefan began to pace in front of her. He took in a deep breath and then he began to speak.

"Elena do you remember why you left Mystic Falls?" He asked her in a steady voice. Elena almost laughed when she heard the question. Was he seriously asking her this? And, if he was seriously asking her this, why was he asking her in front of everyone? The reason she left was kind of a topic that she didn't exactly enjoy shouting from the rooftops.

"Yes Stefan I remember why I left. I think everyone here remembers why I left." Elena said quietly as she swallowed the tears that were threatening to erupt at any moment. Stefan nodded and continued to pace.

"Yes, I'm sorry Elena. What I meant is what exactly do you remember before you left?" Stefan asked, but Elena heard the front door open before she could answer.

"She doesn't remember anything Stefan. You of all people should know that." A velvety voice said from the hall, Elena looked around the corner and tried to focus her eyes on the owner of the smooth voice, but the man was cast in shadows. She leaned forward and suddenly, he came into view.

The most beautiful man Elena had ever seen walked into the parlor only seconds after she heard him speak. He was tall, had deep onyx colored hair and the chiseled features of the most breathtaking Greek sculpture. He wore a black button down shirt and tight black jeans. His tight corded muscles bulged from underneath the thin material of his dark clothing and his eyes were shaded by dark sunglasses that he wore even though it was almost pitch black outside.

"Damon, I was beginning to think you weren't going to show." Stefan said through gritted teeth. He never thought in his life he would ever actually request his brothers company, but these were extenuating circumstances and Damon, unfortunately, was the only one that could help him.

"Well, you ask, I come brother." Damon said with a smirk as he walked over to the bar. He scanned the room, taking in who all was there, but Elena noticed he made sure not to look in her direction. After he took in the guest list, he leaned down, opened a fresh bottle of bourbon, and poured himself a glass.

"I didn't know you had a brother Stefan." She said as she turned toward Damon. She could not believe that after dating for nearly two years, Stefan had left out the fact that he had a brother. That just went to show that she had been right all along, he had never loved her, it had all just been a mask he wore to cover who he truly was inside.

Elena made her way slowly across the room toward the bar. From the corner of her eye she saw Bonnie clutch Caroline's arm and she saw the tears running down both of their faces. Elena shook her head and wondered why they were crying already? No one had even said what was going on yet.

"I'm sorry; I don't think we've met. I'm Elena." She said as she smiled at the dark haired stranger. Damon raised his head and looked at her. She couldn't tell if he was looking directly at her because of his sunglasses, but he was at least acknowledging her existence which was a step in the right direction since he hadn't before.

"Damon." He said quickly. Elena smiled.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Damon." She said. She didn't know what it was, but something about him made her feel very much at ease.

"The pleasure is all mine, Elena." Damon said softly. Elena nodded and smiled at him. She had never heard her name sound as beautiful as it did on his lips that day. It felt as if she had heard him say it a million times before and somewhere inside she prayed to hear it a million more. Damon took her hand gently and leaned down and placed a single kiss on the top of her hand. Elena's head began to spin. The sudden contact with Damon's skin seemed to rush through her body at a superhuman speed. It felt as if pure adrenaline had shot through her and brought her to life, yet was tearing her apart, all at the same time. Her heart began to ache and suddenly the feeling of adrenaline coursing through her body was replaced with the feeling of a devastating loss. Elena hadn't felt anything this painful since she had held Jeremy's lifeless body in her arms as she sat on the cold pavement that day only one year ago. The pain was so immense that tears began to roll down her cheeks and her body began to shake.

"Elena, please don't cry." Damon said as he moved toward her and touched his hand gently to her cheek. Elena shook her head and tried to pull away, but her own body wasn't cooperating with her.

"I'm sorry, I…I don't know why…." She found herself unable to complete a thought to explain why she was crying in front of a complete stranger. She looked around and saw the sad faces of her friends as they stared down at the floor. Stefan ran his hands nervously through his hair and turned away. Before Elena knew it, Caroline was at her side.

"Elena it's ok. Let's go sit down. Stefan can explain everything, it'll all be OK." Caroline said as she rubbed her hands on Elena's shoulders. Elena nodded, but turned back to Damon. She stared at him as he still held her hand in his. She slowly pulled her hand away, but watched him the entire time as Caroline pulled her across the room.

When Elena reached the other side of the room she tried to compose herself. Obviously being in this town again was causing her to go off the deep end. She hadn't really stopped crying since she had entered the Salvatore Boarding House and now she had just got done having a complete nervous breakdown in front of a stranger. She closed her eyes and took a couple deep breaths as she tried to pull herself together. Finally, she opened her eyes and stared at Stefan, who stood in front of her. His worried eyes bored into hers with a great intensity.

"Stefan. Please tell what is going on." Elena begged through her remaining tears. Stefan nodded and then turned his back to her and stared into the fireplace.

"Elena, what is the reason why you remember leaving Mystic Falls?" Stefan asked. Elena shook her head and looked around. She couldn't believe he was yet again asking her about this in front of everyone.

"Stefan, you know why I left." She said softly. Stefan nodded and then turned back to her.

"Tell me what you remember Elena, please." He said as his voice slightly cracked. Elena nodded and then looked down at the floor.

"Jeremy…Klaus killed him because of what you did with his family. You took his family from him and since you cared for me, he decided to take my family from me. So he killed Jeremy as I stood and watched." She said as she felt the tears begin to roll down her cheeks once again. Memories of that painful day rushed into her mind and no matter how hard she pushed them away, they just continued to overpower her.

"What else do you remember sweetie?" He asked in a hushed voice. His voice was soft and comforting, but Elena could tell he was also hiding something.

"I remember that I blamed you for Jeremy's death. I was so angry that I drove and drove until I was far out of town. I stopped at a bar where no one would know me and then I drank until I couldn't feel the pain anymore. Some guy approached me and offered to take me home and I agreed….and then I slept with him." She said as she stared at the floor. Shame filled Elena's body as she remembered the horrible night. Most of the night she didn't remember, but the fact that she had sunk that low, that was always in her mind. Caroline tightened her grip on Elena's shoulder.

"Is there anything else you remember?" Stefan said softly. Elena looked up to answer, but then she heard glass hit the wall and she jolted from her seat.

"Why are you doing this to her Stefan? Why don't you just let me do what you brought me to do and then get on with it? There is no reason to fucking torture her with this and make this worse on everyone!" Damon screamed as he moved across the room with inhuman speed. He moved in front of his brother, ripped off his sunglasses and grabbed the front of Stefan's shirt.

"I agreed to come here to help, this is not fucking helping." He seethed in Stefan's face.

"Fine." Stefan said reluctantly as he backed away from his brother. Damon stepped back and released his grip. He ran his fingers though his hair and then turned toward Elena. He looked up at her with his painfully beautiful blue eyes. Elena felt her heart nearly stop in her chest. She jolted from her chair as if she had been pushed and backed right in to Caroline.

"Elena, are you alright?" Caroline asked as she looked at the terror that had spread across Elena's face. Elena shook her head as she stared at Damon. Tears began to roll down her face faster and faster and she looked at him as if she had seen a ghost.

"You….you have…" Elena stuttered but no coherent sentences escaped her mouth. She looked around the room of her friends while they stared at her with concerned faces, but she looked at them as if they were all strangers.

"Who are you?" She asked quietly through her tears as she stared at Damon. Damon moved slowly closer to her and raised his hands up as a sign of peace.

"Elena, calm down. I'm Damon. I'm Stefan's brother." He said slowly as if he was trying to save her from jumping off a cliff. Elena shook her head as her tears began to escape her in sobs.

"No. Who are you? You have….you have…" She stuttered again but still nothing came out. Caroline moved from behind her and looked at Elena, her eyes searching her for a way she could help her.

"Elena, what? What does he have?" Caroline asked as she moved closer to her and rubbed her hands down Elena's back.

"You have his eyes…how did you get his eyes?" She questioned in almost a whisper. Damon looked at her in confusion as he moved toward her still trying to find a way to calm her.

"You have his eyes, how do you have his eyes? I don't know you, how do you have his eyes?" Elena continued to repeat as she tried to come to grips with what was happening in front of her. Damon continued moving toward her to try to calm her, but then it hit him. He stopped moving and let his hands drop to his sides. Reality hit him hard and suddenly he sensed exactly what Elena was talking about and why she was now completely hysterical.

"Elena, calm down. Please just let me explain this to you." He said quietly. She looked at his face and continued to shake her head, but she couldn't understand what was happening and the faces around her held no answers. Caroline moved into Elena's view once again. Worry was painted across her beautiful features.

"Elena, whose eyes does he have? What are you talking about sweetie?" Caroline asked as she stared at her. Elena looked at her and then turned back to Damon.

"Joey's. He has Joey's eyes." Elena said through her tears. The entire room froze and not even a breath could be heard. Stefan ran his hands over his face and looked back to the ground. Caroline wrapped her arms around Elena and tried to pull her into an embrace, but Elena fought her as she stared still at the man in front of her with the same beautiful cobalt eyes as her son.

**Please read and review, just a rewrite of a story that I did a while ago. Having a bout of writers block and trying to go through some of my old work to get over it. Hope you enjoy, let me know what you think. Click the button below. More updates to my stories soon and more oneshots coming as well. Thanks! Nikki:) **


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